Still time to sign up for this swap!
I'm patrob (Patricia) and have volunteered to host the What's Left on My Want List (WLOMWL) Swap again this year. We had great participation last year, and I hope this year's swap is just as big. New traders are always welcome to join too!
In hopes of making this swap an even better experience and more fun for everyone, there are a few tweaks to the rules and procedures.
Please read all the info below.
Important Dates:
Sign up now through Dec. 2, 2013.
Post and update your want list through Dec. 2 as well.
Mail seeds to me no later than Jan. 6, 2014.
I will mail back to you no later than Jan. 20, 2014.
Participants
#1 patrob (Patricia)
#2 kchd (Katie)
#3 velsgarden (Velvet)
#4 pinkiris (Jayeanne)
#5 em247 (Emily)
#6 primrose1x3 (Karen)
#7 ishareflowers (Lisa)
#8 jhgarden9 (Judy)
#9 sandysgardens (Sandy)
#10 xiangirl (Heidi)
#11 jas_il (Jasmine)
#12 FryMomma (Laurie)
#13 poisondartfrog (Alana)
#14 micyrey (Michelle)
#15 drippy (Kim)
#16 ruthz (Ruth)
#17 midwestfarmwife (Mary)
#18 hibiscusfan (Sue T)
#19 sguanzon (Sue G)
#20 LullabyF360 (Alicia)
#21 ForeverRecycleReuse (Jessica)
#22 jlee160 (Jen)
#23 yeli0507 (Dionlys)
#24 sorellina (Julianna)
#25 rane_grow (Iris)
#26 jaynine (Janine)
#27 mjzzyzoff (Molly)
#28 debby_1 (Debby)
#29 Mermaidinthegarden (Miriam J)
#30 Charity
#31 beautifulreddahlias (Nina)
#32 leilahamaya (Leila)
#33 duane456 (Duane)
#34 foolforabloom (Miriam W)
#35 vajeff (Jeff)
#36 molanic (Morgan)
#37 lovesblooms (Taqiyyah)
#38 aquadragonfly
#39 loveless (Crystal)
Send Me Your Info:
As soon as you sign up, send to pat46rob@gmail.com
your GW name,
real name,
and mailing address
You may also include your preferences about duplicates and substitutions and types of seeds you do or don't want.
Your Want List:
Post your want list on your member page along with the date you updated it.
You may add to or take from your list until Dec. 2. After Dec. 2, no changes are allowed.
Each time you update your list, post to the thread so those who have already looked at your list will know to look again and I know to update the Composite List. It might be helpful to put newly added requests at the top of your list.
If your list is not current now, you might put "Not Updated" at the top until you are ready for others to start selecting seeds for you.
Composite Want List:
I post each person's list to The Composite Want List on Google Docs. When your list is ready, post here or e-mail me so I will know to add it. Any time you update your list, do the same, and I will update the Composite List as well.
The link to the Composite Want List is at the bottom of this post.
Eligible Seeds:
Send ONLY seeds that are on someone's want list. Seeds that are not on want lists will be returned to you unless you have indicated they are extras for sharing.
Send viable seeds not more than two or three years old in most cases.
Here's a chart to help you decide if your seeds are still good: http://www.hillgardens.com/seed_longevity.htm
Bottom line: Send only seeds you would be pleased to receive!
Please do not send anything other than seeds -- no cuttings, bulbs, etc.
Seed Packets:
Be as generous as you can in the number of seeds per packet. Normally 15-20 seeds are about right with more for tiny seeds and fewer for very large seeds.
Exception: If you have just a bit of something special, most of us would rather receive a small amount than none.
Mark each packet you send in clearly with
the name of the plant, including the scientific name if you can,
year the seed was harvested or packaged for,
recipient's number,
your name or number.
If you don't put your own number on the packet, I will have no way to prevent giving you back your own seed when I distribute the extras.
If the seeds fulfill a generic wish, such as "butterfly attractor" or "your favorite perennial" or "anything red," please mark this on the packet so l know for sure it was requested.
Group seeds for each participant in baggies or tape them together. That will save me lots of time.
Seeds You Will Receive:
You may send in any number of packets and will receive the same number in return unless you tell me not to send back that many. Extra packets will be divided among all participants.
How many of your wishes are actually filled depends on what is sent in for you by others.
If fewer are sent in for you than you sent to me, you will receive duplicates, when possible, or substitutions. If you have a preference, let me know when you e-mail me your info. Also if there are types of seeds you don't want, include that info in your e-mail, and I'lll do my best.
Return Shipping:
I prefer to return seeds to you in either a small priority box or a priority padded envelope. I can print labels at home at the following discounted prices, including delivery confirmation:
$5.15 -- The small priority box will hold up to 100 seed packets, perhaps a few more.
$5.70 -- The padded priority envelope will be necessary for larger trades.
If you prefer regular mail and do not want delivery confirmation or priority shipping, you may send a self-addressed label and the same number of stamps it took to mail your package to me. I'll reuse your bubble envelope and send it back to you by regular mail.
Last Year I Did Not Emphasize, But Should Have:
I really do look at each seed packet and check it against the recipient's want list. Most of you were excellent at filling wishes!
However, I spent many hours with piles of "orphan" seeds, searching the Composite Want List to see if I could find them homes where they were wanted.
Read want lists carefully. If a person lists specific varieties of a plant, that is what they are asking for. If they are open to other varieties, they will say so.
For example, sending a packet of unnamed marigolds is not acceptable if someone asked for "Marigold: Disco Flame." If you are searching the want lists and see "Marigold," look to see if it's a heading and specific varieties are listed before assuming that any marigold will do.
This year I will return to you seed packets that are not on want lists!
Exception: Unrequested seeds you have indicated are extras to be shared are okay.
This is NOT the swap to rehome really old seeds. If packets are so old that writing is worn off or the paper is wearing out, that's a hint the seeds are probably too old to be viable.
Packets need to be sealed! Seeds bouncing around loose at the bottom of your package are wasted!
If you send lots of seed packets with just a few seeds each, I'll count them as half packages, not wholes.
Exception: Small packets of special seeds are fine!
If you send multiple packets of the very same seed for one person, they will count as one packet.
(When someone says duplicates are okay, it means duplicates that just happen to come in from different people.)
Limit how many packets of generic seeds you send for any one person and try to send seeds for as many different participants as you can.
A person may have more general wants, and that is fine. This swap is for everyone. However, if a lot of you send in 20-60 packets each for that one person, others with more specific wants are going to end up with a lot of unwanted seeds. That's really not fair.
As far as possible, I will send back to you the same sort of seeds that you send in: mostly named in = mostly named out; mostly generic in = mostly generic out. Note: I said as far as possible.
If you can, mail before the deadline! Every day helps when it gets down toward the end.
Suggestions for New Traders:
Be sure to post on this thread or e-mail me when your want list is ready for others to use when selecting seeds for you.
The sooner I add your list to the Master List the better as some will start filling seed packets right away to avoid the holiday rush. Remember the old adage about the early bird and the worm!
You may keep working on your list until Dec. 2, even after I add it to the Master List. Just post here or e-mail me whenever you make changes, and I'll update the Master List each time. It's quick and easy to do as long as I know to do it, so don't worry that you are a bother.
It might be helpful to post a list of seeds you have available to trade on your member page. Lots of people like to "shop" and may add seeds they see on your list to their want list. What you consider ordinary may be just what someone else is hoping for. If you have seeds for plants native to your area, they may be perfect for trading.
And now:
Let's get this swap started and have fun!
Here is a link that might be useful: Composite Want List
This post was edited by patrob on Mon, Nov 25, 13 at 13:43
mjzzyzoff
patrobOriginal Author
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